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Scams

Sophisticated IRS Scam Targeting Veterans
March 17, 2017

    

A very aggressive and highly sophisticated IRS telephone scam is currently targeting veterans and seniors. The scam has been reported as existing throughout the United States.  Veterans beware!  Here’s what to look out for:

  

The scammers will contact veterans and seniors claiming to be from the IRS.  The scammers are using fake IRS ID badge numbers, fake names, and bogus telephone caller ID numbers to make it look as if the IRS is actually calling.  Reportedly, the scammers have a lot of information on the veterans and seniors they contact, in an attempt to appear legitimate.

   

   

   

    

   

   

   

   

   

   

  

The scammers are informing veterans and seniors they owe money to the IRS and it must be paid immediately by way of a wire transfer or a pre-loaded debit card.  If the scammers face resistance, veterans and seniors are told they will be jailed within 24-hours, and they will lose their business license or driver’s license.  The hostile and aggressive nature of the scam also involves scammers informing veterans and seniors that their bank accounts will be seized, unless they voluntarily pay back the debt owed to the IRS.

  

Veterans are being scammed in record numbers by the level of sophistication of this current scam.  Somehow, the scammers have information regarding a veterans disability status.  Because these scammers have an enormous amount of information on their potential victims, the scammers are informing veterans they have been overpaid in compensation by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the overpayment must be paid back immediately or the veteran will lose compensation benefits permanently.

  

  

Sophisticated Scam Goes After Disabled Veterans
March 30, 2017

   

Veterans beware!  A highly sophisticated scam is sweeping the country, and the scammers are going after disabled veterans.  The scammers are contacting disabled veterans informing them they have been award a free government grant from the Federal Grant Division.  The scammers are using highly sophisticated telephone software that make it appear they are calling from a local government office.  Also, the scammers are highly trained in using government language to make it seem as if you are dealing with someone from the Federal Government.  Unfortunately, the scammers have already scammed thousands of veterans.

For instance, a Vietnam War veteran is out $2,650 after falling victim to government imposter scammers.

   

Charles Jorgensen, 72, received a phone call from the “Federal Grant Division” notifying him that he’d been selected for a grant.  Mr. Jorgensen said, “It seemed plausible because I served in the Air Force and all of my medical needs are being handled by the VA.”

    

   

  

   

  

   

   

  

   

   

    

To process his newly awarded grant, scammers claiming to be from the Federal Grant Division, informed Mr. Jorgensen he only had to pay grant processing fees.  Believing he was being directed by officials from the Federal Grant Division, Mr. Jorgensen purchased iTunes gift cards to cover the cost of “processing fees.’

  

According to Mr. Jorgensen, “They make it sound good, but then they keep dragging it on and say ‘we need one more payment, we need one more payment,’”

  

Mr. Jorgensen reported that his grant money never arrived.

Tips from the Better Business Bureau on how to spot this scam:

  • Don't pay any money for a "free" government grant. If you have to pay money to claim a "free" government grant, it isn't really free. A real government agency won't ask you to pay a processing fee for a grant that you have already been awarded.
  • Be wary of look-a-like government agencies. Just because the caller says he's from the "Federal Grants Administration" doesn't mean that he is...or that such an agency exists. When in doubt, do a quick online search.
  • Pick up the phone. If you receive a suspicious call or email, call the local government agency to check its legitimacy. Look for the phone number on previous correspondence or the official government website. Don't call the number given to you by the caller or in the email.
  • Don't trust your friends' tastes online. It might not actually be them "liking" or sharing these scam posts. Their account may have been hacked or impersonated.